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Denzel Washington, Terry Farrell, Porter Wagoner

My favorite actor is Denzel Washington and I’d like to know more about him. Does he have a fan club?
—Delia N., Mississippi

The 49-year-old actor is the middle child of three, born to a preacher father and a beautician mother. When Washington played reporter Gray Grantham in The Pelican Brief, he was stepping into the profession that might have been. The Mount Vernon, N.Y., native graduated from Fordham University with a journalism degree, but he never pursued that career. Interested in acting during college, he appeared in a number of student productions and, after graduation, got a scholarship to San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater. But after a year there, he wanted to do acting instead of studying it, so he started looking for work as an actor. After getting some small TV roles, he landed his first movie, Carbon Copy, a comedy co-starring George Segal. But his big break came when he took the part of Dr. Chandler on St. Elsewhere. It didn’t take long for movie offers to start rolling in, and he established himself as a serious, talented actor in films such as Cry Freedom, Glory (for which he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor), Courage Under Fire, and Training Day, in which he played against type as a villainous and violent crooked cop. The performance earned him another Oscar, this time as Best Actor. He and his wife Paulette have been married for 20 years and have four children. In 1995, they renewed their wedding vows in South Africa, with Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating. Washington does not have an official fan club.

Can you tell us what happened to Reggie on Becker? We miss her.
—Reba R., Montana

Terry Farrell, a former model and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-star, was written off the CBS series in 2002 after four seasons so producers could take the show into a “new creative direction.” Nancy Travis was brought in to fill the void. Farrell, 39, was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She played science officer Lt. Cmdr. Jadzia Dax on DS9 from 1993-98 before being cast on Becker. She moved to New York when she was a teenager after signing with the Elite modeling agency. Farrell worked as a model for three years, gracing the covers of Mademoiselle and German Vogue magazines. Not content to just model, she began taking acting classes. Her first major role was in the drama series Paper Dolls, which was a show about the modeling business. After moving to Los Angeles, she landed guest-starring roles on Quantum Leap, The Cosby Show, and Family Ties and appeared in TV movies and miniseries. Farrell recently starred in the Lifetime movie Crossing the Line. Her movie credits include Back to School. She married last year.

My wife and I have listened to or watched Porter Wagoner for years. Can you tell us if he has a wife and family?
—Howard C., Nevada

The Thin Man from West Plains, Mo., immediately recognizable for his flashy costumes, jokes that he’s “the most eligible bachelor in Nashville.” Seriously, Porter Wagoner has been divorced for many years, but the country music legend has three adult children: two daughters and a son. Wagoner, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year, had a new gospel album released this summer by King Records. As a youngster, he fell in love with country music and taught himself guitar so he could sing and play along with the radio. His habit of playing and singing when business was slow at the grocery store where he worked inspired the store owner to sponsor an early morning radio show featuring the young singer. That eventually resulted in a television show and a record contract with RCA. In 1961, he began hosting his own television show, syndicated out of Nashville. In 1967, he introduced his audience to a then-unknown young singer named Dolly Parton.

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